The Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (Insap) said areas that needed improvement included inter-agency communication, coordination of information dissemination, clear SOPs, and data performance intelligence.
“The government has been overly focused on economic measures in containing Covid-19.
“In the roadmap to Covid-19 recovery or exit plan, the focus should be on people’s well-being, welfare and livelihoods,” it added.
According to Insap, the first focus must be on communication strategies to provide people with timely information on the virus and government initiatives to promote health and behaviour change.
This should also include measures to address fake news and rumours, it added
Insap also called for a competitive healthcare system to facilitate informed decision-making, and more attention be given to treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder among former Covid-19 patients.
It said the government must encourage local experts to embrace research and innovation in healthcare by providing universities with more funding for prioritised areas of study.
“Good data management, advanced analytics and the use of performance intelligence are critical when dealing with uncertainty as they enable rapid shifts in priorities from time to time.”
It added that social issues caused by the pandemic must be addressed through further studies, along with the implementation of a social recovery plan with evidence-based solutions for targeted communities.
Another suggestion from Insap was for a comprehensive and flexible “active manpower policy” to match jobseekers to available careers with competitive salaries.
The think tank also called for the advancement of digitalisation to revamp the “archaic” education system, especially in the areas of student engagement, teaching methods and assessment.
The final pillar, it said, should look at rethinking urban planning and spatial design as these factors played an important role in determining the health of urban populations.
“It is highly recommended to include urban planners when expanding the field of medicine and public health – it should become a hybrid with spatial medicine.
“This is where the design of built environments can focus on creating positive spatial settings that are able to control environmental risks.”